The Crane-Flies of New York — Part II 849 



I 



Mandible short and blunt, of the generalized liranobiine type, the two apical teeth blunt. 

 Maxilla not greatly projecting. Antenna slender, with two elongate apical papillae. Hypo- 

 pharynx a chitinized band, with numerous teeth along anterior margin. Mentum completely 

 divided, each half with about seven teeth. 



Pupa. — Cephalic crest tipped with long setae. Pronotal breathing horns elongate, 

 tips deeply split into divergent flaps. Abdominal segments with transverse rows of setiferous 

 tubercles, there being five such rows on the tergites and six on the sternites. Lateral spiracles 

 protuberant. 



The name PseudoUmnophila was proposed for a certain group of the 

 old genus Limnophila, inckiding L. luteipennis and its alHcs. The adult 

 flies closely resemble species of Limnophila, but the immature stages are 

 very different and of a distinctly more generalized type. 



The larvae are herbivores, with the mentum heavily chitinized, com- 

 pletely divided into two halves, the margin conspicuously toothed, the 

 hypopharynx heavily chitinized and with numerous teeth, and the mandi- 

 bles short and blunt and with many obtuse teeth. The points of resem- 

 blance to the Limnobia type are numerous, and the head capsule shows 

 few features in common with Limnophila, in the restricted sense. The 

 pupae have the abdomen with numerous transverse rows of setiferous 

 tubercles bearing long setae. The genotype is Limnophila luteipennis 

 0. S., of eastern North America. Other species referable to this genus 

 are L. inornata, L. contempta, L. nigripleura, and L. noveboracensis, of the 

 Nearctic fauna; L. lucorum (Meig.), of Europe; and L. frugi Bergr., 

 L. claduroneura Speis., L. riatalensis Alex., L. spectabilis Alex., and several 

 other species, of the Ethiopian fauna. 



Hart (1898 [1895]: 202-204) describes the habits of P. luteipennis in 

 some detail. Larvae about half grown were found on March 17, 1895, 

 these attaining their growth and pupating on April 13. Hart ascertained 

 by dissection that the species is a herbivore, feeding on fragments of 

 dead vegetation, numerous diatoms of many species, and minute algae. 



As in many species of the Limnophilaria and a few other groups of 

 crane-flies, the spiracular lobes are fringed with long, delicate hairs which 

 spread out on the surface film of the water into broad fans. The larva 

 is unable to release itself from the hold of the water except by looping 

 the head and the anterior end of the body around the posterior end, and 

 drawing the latter thru this loop, repeating this action until the hairs 

 have gone below the level of the film. 



6 . 



